Thursday, July 14, 2011

Today was the first time I went on a company sponsored trip for work purpose. I was delighted to get the window seat and entertained myself peering over the wings of the plane looking down on the ground.

From KLIA, the earth is a verdant, emerald carpet, thanks to the #1 cash crop of the country, oil palm. Breaking the greenery are the developments, clusters of cookie-cutter housing estates and townships. Angry red welts of exposed raw laterite marks areas where the earth has been gouged for new development. As the plane made its (seemingly) desultory pass over the hilly areas, I wonder how long before those proud peaks are levelled for more development. :p

But I digress.

Looking at the clouds drifting in fat clumps outside the window of the Fokker F-50 (I think), I remembered that as a child flying towards Europe, I looked at the blanket of white below and wanted to ask the pilot to stop the plane for a while, let me out to play in the clouds before resuming the journey. I was seven years old and did not understand that clouds are merely condensation and those cartoons depicting people living on clouds with harp and wings (heavenly, really?) are NOT REAL.

However, at this hoary age that I am at right now, gazing at the expanse of thick whiteness with jagged peaks, reminiscent of pristine Antarctic icefields, still makes me want to ask the pilot to stop and let me go play in the clouds. Granted that I now know that by doing so I'll be plummeting to a horrific death in the South China Sea, but the feeling still remain.

I should stick to playing in the snow (when possible).

Here are a couple of songs I love that features clouds.

This song of Tori Amos has a way of tugging my heartstrings. So poignant and resonant; not a bad feat considering I barely understand her enunciation.

If anyone ask me how long I've been a (semi/kinda/sorta)hipster about music, I'll have to say: a long time.

It really started in high school when I turned up my nose at New Kids on the Block and many other teen pop idols of the day. Yes, I am old enough to know NKOTB and listen to the band as they shoot to stardom. Shut up.

I once sneered to a classmate (who is a diehard NKOTB fan with school file featuring said band, natch), that Donnie Wahlberg looked like a convict and Danny Wood looked like he's the missing link. She, who is one of the most on-the-narrow sort (and became a respectable prefect the year after, mind you), actually lunged at me and almost throttled yours truly except for the grace of God and the excellent reflexes of fellow classmates.

Hence, I learned that you mock the teen idol of the day to a hardcore fan at your peril.

I had something to say about all the members of the band, but the one that got me kicked the hardest was when I said that Jon Knight looked like he's gay. Which of course was met with strenuous protestation that he's so cute (what does that have to do with which way he swings?) and that he's straight 'cause he's dating girls like Tiffany (whose eyes they want to gouge out).

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Time-place setting is a debating term to denote a strategy to restrict the parameters of the debate unfairly. But time-place setting, as expounded in the video, gives an insight to how people perceive time and how that affects their decision-making.

I am amazed at the animation and I love the idea. Now I have something else to blame for my slothfulness. My geographical location.